Limitarianism, by Ingrid Robeyns

An argument against extreme wealth.

Ingrid Robeyns is a Dutch and Belgian (she holds dual citizenship) philosopher and economist. In her book Limitarianism: The Case Against Extreme Wealth, she suggests a wealth limit that no citizen should cross. For Robeyns, that figure should be around 10 million dollars. There are many reasons why wealth should be limited, beyond the very obvious one that greed is not good. Extreme wealth has multiple negative effects, ones we often don’t think of. It has a corrosive effect on public policy (the rich have an undue influence on law making), is bad for the environment (promoting rampant consumption) and weakens democracy.  Interestingly, even  the wealthy don’t enjoy their good fortune. They suffer feelings of guilt, associate only with other rich people, are socially isolated and stressed trying to maintain their fortunes. The irony of extreme wealth is that beyond a certain point, money becomes useless. You can’t spend billions of dollars, only show your bank balance to other billionaires.

Written in a plain, easy to understand style, Limitarianism mixes ethics and economics into a convincing argument on why limiting wealth is critical for the health of society and the world. 

Limitarianism, by Ingrid Robeyns. Published by Allen Lane. $55

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